WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF you were falsely accused, your home and business raided, your bank accounts frozen, all your financial assets seized, your means of earning a living taken away, your reputation ruined, and you were prevented from defending yourself in court? But they can’t do that in America, right?
This has been happening to citizens all across the country. I am Jerry Hawkins and just over a year ago this happened to my wife Cathy and me. On the morning of April 14th, 2021, federal agents carried out a pre-dawn raid on our home and home-based businesses. We were both held at gunpoint and I was cuffed.
Swarms of other agents began arriving. Agents used armored vehicles, helicopters, drones, dogs, numerous other vehicles, and ATVs in conducting the seizure. Over the next eight hours, they searched our home, offices, outbuildings, and property.
All electronics from both my and my wife’s businesses were seized. My company’s website (Hawk Innovative Tech) and most inventories were seized. Bank accounts were seized. All precious metals, cash, and change (except pennies) were seized. However, they allowed orders to be placed for the next two weeks before seizing that money as well.
Not only were we left with no means to sustain ourselves or care for our livestock, but we were also left with no means to defend ourselves in court.
We were able to hire an attorney by putting his retainer on a credit card.
The next several months got us nowhere in being able to fight the accusations:
The DOJ filed a civil asset forfeiture case against us.
The DOJ immediately sought and was granted an indefinite stay from the court so that the case can never be argued in court. Our attorney was not even allowed to be present.
We filed a civil suit against the ATF to adjudicate the legality of the products in question.
The DOJ filed an additional civil suit against us.
The DOJ immediately sought and was granted an indefinite stay from the court on the second lawsuit so that the case can never be argued in court. Our attorney was not even allowed to be present.
The DOJ petitioned our suit against them be dismissed so that the case can never be argued in court. The dismissal was granted. Our attorney was not even allowed to be present.
To date, no charges against us have been filed, though we were told during the raid that they had been investigating my business (Hawk Innovative Tech) for over a year at that time.
One of the main items Hawk innovative Tech produced was a permanent reusable particle filter that could be used for numerous hydraulic collecting and filtering applications (including gun solvent). They are accusing me of making silencers based on a new interpretation of a decades old law. Yet, similar items could be found at Walmart.com, Amazon.com, eBay and many more.
My on-line sporting goods business remains shut down. My wife’s aromatherapy business has been crippled. Still, they refuse to return property unrelated to my business.
This is not just about us. Through these actions, they can target anyone for anything. Who will be next? This is about rogue practices that are contrary to the foremost government mandate “to secure these rights”.
These actions must be brought to light to face due scrutiny for the protection of everyone. We plan to challenge these injustices through to the end. Much help and support is needed for us to do so as they have taken away every financial resource and blocked every legal recourse to fight this in court.
What can you do to help?
First and foremost, pray. We have faith the Lord is working in this. It is His divine guidance and providence on which this country was founded and in which we sincerely desire to continue.
Spread the word by sharing this page. The law should never be above the law. Civil Asset Forfeiture and Qualified Immunity must stop.
We need financial support to enable us to see this through. Once our case(s) are resolved, we plan to start a non-profit with the goal to assist others who are being unfairly targeted and victimized like this.
If you have any questions or similar stories to share, please contact us at info@thedenialofjustice.org.
